Alvernia Crusaders Athletics

Coach Kevin Calabria arrived on the Alvernia University campus in 1989 with the assignment to start a women’s basketball program from scratch. With a group of seven players, four of whom never played in high school, the Alvernia University Lady Crusaders were born. That first team finished 10-11 having lost at the buzzer by one point in its final game of the season. That haunting finish served more as motivation for Calabria to hit the recruiting trail. And hit it hard he did,

Coach Calabria left a very successful girls’ program at Holy Name High School in Reading that he revitalized starting in 1982. When he left, he did not leave the cupboard bare. That stable full of excellent talent eventually got to the State Championship game four years into Calabria’s tenure at Alvernia University. But Calabria never looked back and today stands as one of the winningest coaches in NCAA Division III history with 373 wins.

That first season of 1989-1990 was the last time Calabria and his Crusaders finished under .500. Now entering his 19th season as Head Coach at Alvernia, Calabria’s overall record is 341-156, a 69% winning percentage. Eleven of his 16 teams have won 19 games or more, including three straight 22-6 seasons from 1996-98.

Calabria has produced four All-Americas in Nicole Brown, Dawn Ermert, Cristie Ansbach (twice) and Tanisha Giddens. His teams have appeared in six NCAA Championship Tournaments since Alvernia became a full –time NCAA member in 1995. They have won five Pennsylvania Athletic Conference titles (1994, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2005). The Lady Crusaders also own a Keystone Athletic Conference title (1992) and an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) title in 1995.

Although he has found success in terms of wins and losses, the conference titles and personal achievements over the years are far more astounding. He has won four Coach of the Year awards. A staunch believer in the student-athlete model, he encourages his players to study and get smarter, believing that academic and athletic success go hand-in-hand. Most importantly, all of his players have gone on to lead meaningful lives and become productive members of society. He gets tremendous satisfaction out of receiving letters and emails from his former players showing pictures of their children. Players will often come back to campus knowing that although the physical campus has certainly grown and seen many changes, they know one person for sure will still be there and be pretty much the same, their mentor Coach Calabria.

He likes to bring real life experiences from the business world to his players to demonstrate the value of hard work and a good education. He teaches his players about what he feels should be the order of priorities in their lives as an Alvernia player: spiritual life, family, academics and basketball. But for Calabria, his joy and passion is coaching on the sidelines of a basketball court.  "I still go to coaching clincis to learn more so I can give my players a winning edge." 

"I still love basketball. I love coaching it and being around the game. More than anything, I still love being around my players. They keep me young and hip. I feel that I can still get through to them teaching them the game of basketball but most importantly, I can still be a positive influence in their lives. My players often come to me seeking career advice. That’s the best thing about my job. My girls know that I care about them as people much more than I care about them as players. I try to teach them what it’s going to take to succeed when they graduate from Alvernia. That’s the message our recruits get from my players. Recruits and their parents quickly learn that I really care about the kids. They know my staff and I will look out for them and make sure they get an education."

"This is a program that we built from scratch. All the girls who have played here for me have made it very rewarding to be their coach. As for me, the fire still burns to be the best that we can possibly be. We don’t want to be just competitive, we want to cut down the nets! My current players and I realize that all of those great former players are watching us and we will not let them down as far as continuing the winning tradition here at Alvernia. We all feel a tremendous responsibility to keep this program going strong.  We are also very proud that three of our own former players (Dawn Erment, Nicole Brown, and Cristie Ansbach) are now members of the Alvernia University Hall of Fame.  It gives all of my current players something to strive for." 

While at Holy Name High School, Calabria spent seven years compiling a 115-70 record (.616 winning percentage) and three state tournament appearances including a 24-8 Eastern Semi-Finalist squad in 1987.

Coach Calabria’s coaching career began at Sacred Heart Elementary School in West Reading where he led the seventh and eighth grade boys’ basketball team to three Berks County Championships. Coach Calabria was also a player. He was the starting point guard for the 1970 Holy Name High School State Champions. That 27-2 team was named one of the top ten teams in Berks Country history by the Reading Eagle in a 2000 poll.

Coach Calabria is a 1974 graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor of science degree in chemistry/Pre-med. He earned his MBA from Alvernia in December 2003 and is a business professor at Alvernia. He teaches Corporate Finance, Personal Money Management and Introduction to Business to undergraduates, One of his biggest thrills is teaching an investment class in the highly regarded Alvernia Seniors College. He also works in the Office of Institutional Advancement as a Development Officer.

He is a member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. He served on the Russell Athletics WBCA Coach of the Year Committee from 2003 to 2007, and currently serves on the NCAA Division III All- America Committee. He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Berks County Chapter in April of 2006, and was inducted into the Holy Name High School Athletic Hall of Fame in October of 2006. He received the Berks County Basketball Officials’ Community Service Award in 1999.  He was named an Honorary Life Member of the Berks Basketball Old- Timers  Association in 2008. 

Coach and his wife Jeannette reside in Shillington, Pennsylvania.